In Memoriam:Elder O. Leslie Stone

Elder O. Leslie Stone, 82, an emeritus member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, died of natural causes Saturday, April 26, shortly after 1:00 A.M. at his Salt Lake City home. Elder Stone had been in failing health in recent years.

A grandchild of Elder Stone once said, “His first initial O really stands for Oscar, but we have said as a family that it stands for organization.”

This flair for gathering the facts, then making informed decisions, aided Elder Stone in his business life. As a young man he joined with his father and a brother in opening a chain of grocery stores. After the chain was sold, he went to work for M. B. Skaggs, becoming executive vice-president in what was to become Safeway Stores. Eventually, he and Skaggs formed a wholesale merchandising firm.

Elder Stone served as a bishop, a stake president, and a regional representative. He also served as president of the Salt Lake Temple. In 1972, he was called to be an Assistant to the Twelve Apostles. When the First Quorum of the Seventy was organized in October of 1976, he was one of the original members. He was named an emeritus member of the Quorum in 1980 after serving several years as executive director of the Temple Department.

Elder Stone’s wife, Dorothy, preceded him in death in September of 1985. They had four sons, two of whom are still living.